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Tuesday, 10 October 2017

New! Halloween Costumes from Cosplay by McCall's

COSPLAY COSTUMES OCT. 2017

I know that my last post was a bit dreary, I had to not only vent my frustrations but put a voice out on a subject that I think is being greatly overlooked. I've been reading hundreds of articles by economists and I'm floored with how incredibly naive some of these people are. Can you believe one woman defended the minimum wage raise saying that it'll work better for the economy, prices generally won't inflate at a quicker rate - except for housing. While she acknowledged that the housing/rental market will continue to balloon she somehow, mind blowingly, failed to make the connection that these minimum wage workers would continue to find affordable housing just out of reach. If people are spending well over half their income on their housing, and the hydro rates continue to climb, exactly when is it expected to balance out? Laughable, isn't it?

But you can rest assured, we're not in such dire circumstances that we'd take up residence in the mold infested college house we just looked at (with the body hair, the stench of weed and the ceiling peeling and crumbling). We'll sit and wait and hope for a break in the storm. Until then I plan on busying myself with many a sewing project. Winter will be upon us faster than we think and I'm in need of a new wardrobe.

And what better time than now with the release of four new Cosplay by McCall's patterns? Halloween is just around the corner and I've taken up my fairy costume once again (despite not having any plans). Perhaps some of these pattern might inspire your next costume?

Another design from Seattle Cosplay, although I'll be damned if I can tell you what it's from. Some kind of high flying Kung Fu film no doubt, but if you're into Wing Chun this might be the style for you. The costume features a top with keyhole front, frog closures and appliqués; detachable matching sleeves that also have appliqués and bias trim; and finally a belt and skirt. Overall the design is aesthetically pleasing. I like the asymmetrical cut of the top, dupioni wouldn't be my first material to choose from (more like brocade) but it's still nice.

This is another accessories pattern, this time for a fairy. My first thought when I saw this was that I liked the organza skirt, however, it's not available in the pattern, bummer. I thought using a bustier for this photo shoot was an odd choice, it looks like a bra lol, like someone forgot to give the poor girl a top. The stockings are hideous. I don't get it. It's just some elastic trim carefully applied to some pantyhose, you could do this at home without needing a pattern, it truly feels like an afterthought. The pillbox hat is decent, I have seen better elsewhere, but this is the first of its kind in this series. The wings are quite nice, but I'd be tempted to refashion the way it sits on the back, the exposed wire is rather home-made and unpleasant looking. It wraps around the shoulders and back around the waist. The selected material kind of works against it, if you view it from the side like here, it loses definition. Maybe organza would have been better? Overall it's an okay pattern, you'd really be buying it for the construction of the wings.

This is a really intricate pattern from J. Hart Designs. It's rated Advanced and we can easily see why. I love the choice of materials in this pattern as well as the trim and embellishments. Lolita girls I believe would adore this ensemble, although it might be a bit short and sexy for their liking. The top is made separate from the skirt, which is cool because you could just use it on its own. The overskirt and apron are attached as one, and the panniers made separately. This outfit is well constructed, it has boning in both the top and the panniers. Perfect for a Marie Antoinette costume, Queen of Hearts, exaggerated period costumery or Lolita. Well worth the money!

Ummm, another viking man costume? I'll assume it's inspired by Vikings, or GOT. Something I don't watch. This pattern features a vest with detachable hood and tunic. I'm surprised those boot covers didn't make their way in? They look easy enough, just some fur leg warmers wrapped and tied on, but still, easy enough to include? I guess I'm nit-picking, I tend to want an entire outfit when I buy a pattern, but I don't know the rules at McCall's, maybe that would've been slightly over budget? The vest has a lot of trim and embellishment. I'm not a fan with how open it is in the front, it doesn't have a smooth transition to the tunic and it feels bulky. It's just too wide and blocky, the small princess cap sleeves add to the weirdness of this design, and the choice of blue suede makes him look more like a gnome and not a badass viking warrior. My thoughts: ditch the damn cap sleeves, go sleeveless but keep the trim, make it in a more appealing colour, and redraft the contrast front to flow with the curve of the chest with a steeper angle as it opens outwards. The contrast also appears to cut too highly, in terms of practicality a warrior would probably want his belly protected and kept warm, I feel like it should be at least four inches longer. Overall it has potential, it just needs refining.

CONCLUSION

It's nice to see such a variety here. I know that men don't make up a huge percentage of home sewists but I'm always pleased to see men's costumery. I know I would love to make something for my husband and I can easily see myself using an amalgamation of all the Viking/fantasy warrior patterns I now have in my stash. I loved to see J. Hart Designs ensemble and I'm curious to see if they release any other collaborations with this designer in the future.

2 comments:

There are some interesting sewing patterns I Kinds like first one but I would have to redraft the sewing pattern. Its nice to see more cosplay and wider choice of sewing patterns. Sometimes it look likes the companies are running out of ideas.

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